BAMS Staff Newsletter
December 1, 2013 - Volume 1, Issue 10
BAMS Staff,
It's going to be great to see everyone again this week! I'm really looking forward to getting back into the school routine.
We have 3 BIG weeks before another long break. My challenge to us for this month, is to continue to have students focused and engaged, and to have our students continue to show growth and success. This can certainly be a challenge, but one that we can achieve.
Please let me know how I can help this week. I'm thankful for all of you and for the opportunity to serve you!
Adam
Bessie Allen Middle School - SLO
By the end of the 2013-2014 school year, 100% of an identified population of struggling readers in 6th-8th grade will increase their Reading RIT score on the May MAP assessment.
At Grade Level Team meetings, we have been discussing some of the students for our building SLO. We have begun documentation for all of these students. I have begun to assess these students' reading abilities, which has lead to some purposeful discussions. In some cases, teams have decided to look at different students to receive reading support.
Out of the Office
- December 3rd - 9:00am - 11:30am - Admin Meeting (DMR)
- December 4th - 7:30am-4:00pm - CESA 6 Training (Oshkosh)
- December 10th - 9:00am - 11:30am - Admin Meeting (DMR)
- December 11th - 7:45am-11:00am - ELL, BCT, SPED Meeting (Deb's Office)
- December 12th - 7:30am-4:00pm - CESA 6 Training (Oshkosh)
News and Notes
- Aesop (Automated Substitute Teacher System) - Please continue to ask questions and take risks with our new system. The admin team is working on creating a procedure for when to use Aesop and when to go through office staff.
- Staff Hand Prints - The new staff hand print wall is ready to go. We'll reprint our hands during the December 11th Early Release.
- Clarity Survey - Thank you for taking the time to take this survey to collect some data on how our technology is being used and where to go from here. Our students took a similar survey last week. Lee Skaar will be helping out with interpreting this data and determining the best next step. More to come soon!
- Congratulations to Mikki Detert - National Board Certified Teacher! Again, this is such a great honor and I'm proud of Mikki for her effort and dedication. Great work!
- Please continue to have discussions with your team about doing routine fidelity checks with students iPads. This is a great way to maintain safety. The majority of our students are being safe and appropriate with their device. Don't forget to celebrate that fact, as well.
- Scheduling Update - No decision has been made yet for our schedule for next year. Samantha and I were trying to create a rough draft of what a modified schedule would look like in our buildings - still a work in progress. Joan and I also talked over break about this possibility. I think having a draft of this schedule could be helpful to us in our decision making process. There is still a possibility of Adam, Lee, Sarah, and I taking another school visit. Thank you for your patience as we ponder this change. Please let me know about any thoughts that you have.
Oriole Way
- At our last Oriole Way meeting we got an update on Student Council from Adam Micke. We also discussed raising some funds through Box Tops and incorporating an mini-celebration with this project.
- Please continue to speak the language and hand out BAMS Bucks on a consistent basis.
- Next Meeting - December 4th at 7am
OASYS and Teacher Effectiveness
- First formal observation for Year 3 Staff - Due before January 15th
- Mid-Year Review of SLO - Due Mid-Year (no specific date)
- 2 visits to another classroom - Due by the End of the Year - Instead of 3 visits, the number has changed to 2 visits. We are working to create a common document for everyone to fill out and then upload to OASYS.
**Your SLO may not have been finalized yet, and that's okay. Samantha, Melanie, Deb, and I want to ensure we are being consistent with our approval process before making finalization. Remember, this is new for all of us, administrators and educators, alike. I know we are going to do them, and do our best, and ask questions as we work through these this year.
Dates to Remember
- December 2nd - Curriculum Steering Committee 2:45-4:45pm
- December 6th - School Dance 6-8pm
- December 10th - Staff Meeting
- December 11th - Early Release 12:45-3:10pm
Staff Meeting Agenda
December 10th 2:50-3:15pm
- Oriole Way Update and Data Review
- SLOs
- Others